monochrome_joy
Analog Enlightenment
I would like to share with you my experiences from a week of travel with a minimal amount of camera gear. Well, minimal for me. I have yet to travel with a one camera/one prime lens setup. In this post I will
cover my experiences with the following gear:
35 rolls of film including Ektar, Tri-X, Plus-X, Velvia and Provia
Leica M6 with grip (on a few days I borrowed my friends M6, more later)
VC Nokton 35/1.4
Leica 50 Summicron
Gossen Super Pilot light meter
Photos
Photos can be found here: http://beyondthenegative.com/blog/gallery
All of the gear was easily contained in my new BareBones Bag along with a Vietnamese phrase book, a reporters style notebook, some pens, up to six rolls of film at a time, microfiber cloth, cell phone, and sometimes a water bottle while the camera was out of the bag.
The purpose of the trip was not so much a vacation in the sense of R&R, but more like a learning opportunity as a good friend is a working photographer in Saigon and I wanted to learn and photograph with him. Activities during the trip included a 200km motorcycle trip from Saigon, a tour on the Mekong Delta via boat, a city tour via bus, walking around the city, and a family stay on a rural farm in the Mekong Delta.
I visited families, temples, churches, farms, rice paddies, salt fields, rivers, boats and street corners. It's safe to say that I used nearly every means of travel except a train. The purpose of me listing all of this is to give you an idea of not only the sites but also the means of travel.
Film
Traveling with film at first seemed like a daunting task. Airports gave me anxiety, but I soon found that every airport along the way, SeaTac, Tokyo and Saigon, hand inspections of film were not a problem. I had one roll of TMZ3200 that I requested a hand inspection every time and had no problems. Actually, most of the time they barely even looked at. Even at the Reunification palace in Saigon where they make you put your bag through the XRAY, I was able to have the film bypass with only a casual glance.
I've shot lots of Tri-X, some Plus-X, velvia and Provia but never Ektar. In fact, using the Ektar was a bit of a gamble for me as the first time I used a roll was in Vietnam. The Ektar was processed and scanned at Costco without any problems, although the scanner must not be calibrated as skin tones look a little orange to me. Scanning at home, however, on a Nikon Coolscan IV seemed to fix the problem.
Before arriving at the airport I took all the film out of the plastic canisters and into a large ziplock
bag. I then put all the canisters into another ziplock bag. The canisters help keep the film from
getting wet, scratched etc. In Seatac, I let all the 400 speed and slower go through the XRAY but they
ended up hand inspecting it anyway, leaving and returning.
Camera
The M6 performed flawlessly as expected and was a joy to carry around vs. a larger DSLR. My friend is using a 5D MKII with a kit of primes including a 35/1.4. It was interesting to see the size difference between his full frame setup with a 35/1.4 and mine. Having the grip, which I purchased from eBay some months ago, made the camera feel much more secure in my hands. On a few occasions I borrowed my friends M6 to either run two different speeds of film or have both lenses mounted and ready for quick situations.
The two cameras were invaluable during the city tour where I was constantly in and out of dark temples and churches. I'm not real fond of f/16 and 1/1000, so running a 100 speed film in bright daylight is always my preference. The only other way I can think of overcoming this is to use a ND filter on Tri-X or Provia or some other 400 speed film so I can stop down the aperture.
One of the downfalls to using film is not being able to see your photos until the film is developed. Obvious, I know. Seeing my friend and another guy we hung out with for a few days make photos and review them at the end of the day or show them to the kids they were photographing was a missed opportunity for me. In fact, I wasn't even really sure how much I enjoyed the trip until I started seeing the photos come in and realize I was successful at capturing some moments. One instance made me sick, and thats when I opened the bottom plate before rewinding the film. I pretty much wrote that whole roll off and I had what I felt were some great photos. I was pleasantly surprised to see that probably 60 or 70% of the photos survived and many can be dramatically fixed by converting them to B&W.
On Several occasions I lusted after an M8 and have been thinking about it since coming back. I missed the digital immediacy but I did not miss the size of my DSLR kit. I don't think I'll actually pull the trigger on an M8 just yet, but I definitely have more desire for one than when I left.
As for the argument of a Leica being more discreet than, say, a 5D let me just say this. In most parts of the world, it won't matter. I found that people saw me as far more conspicous because of my white skin color than they did because I had a camera. The locals stared at my white friend and I equally hard despite the fact that my camera was smaller than his. Actually, I think people actually looked at me a little harder when I had to change film. I have ideas on this but I'm not really into speculation, especially considering the cultural and language barriers that we found. At the end of the day, the compelling argument my Leica had against his 5D was it being lightweight and a smaller package for portability. Of course he would then review his photos for the day and the tides of jealousy would reverse.
Glass
I was very happy with both the 35 and the 50. I don't ever remember wishing I had a zoom, or a longer focal length. Most photos at a longer focal length would not have been worth capturing for my style of shooting. With a DSLR and a longer zoom, I'm sure I would have taken the longer photos, but I guarentee they would not make it past the first edit. I mostly used the 35 for indoor and low light stuff. The 50 was my main daylight and outside lens. At first I was worried the 35 wouldn't be wide enough. Towards the end of the trip I was starting to feel like the 35 was too wide for most situations. Also, I noticed a bit of barrel distortion on the Nokton 35. I only noticed the distortion when I was shooting a guy painting an iron gate and the bars bow out slightly. On everything else, it's unnoticeable.
Light meter
The light meter was only used once, at the salt fields we visited because I was worried about getting the right exposure. For the most part, the built-in meter of the M6 and my working knowledge of how it measures helped me get proper exposures. I used to use this meter extensively when I had an M3, but use it much less now that I have an M6.
BareBones Bag
This is the bag I have been looking for since I first picked up a Leica. No frills, no bulky padding, small shoulder bag but not too small. At times I wished it was a little bit bigger, but only when carrying two bodies both with mounted lenses, light meter, notepad, bottle of water, 6 rolls of film, microfiber cloth, sunglasses, phrase book, pens and pencils, iPod and cell phone. All of that gear made the shape of the bag a bit square and more bulky than I love, but it was never an issue. Once I took a camera out of the bag, and usually both cameras at the same time, it was slinged over my body and wore very comfortably. The bag went with me everywhere and sometimes I wore it more towards the front of my body when walking down the busy streets or riding a motorcycle. Other times I loosened the strap and wore it at my side.
I saw people wearing backpacks on their front and they not only look like goofballs but also send a loud and clear message that they think everyone is a thief. A shoulder bag worn towards the front does not send the same message and is much easier to get into.
The only thing I wasn't a real fan of in regards to the bag is how the internal pockets are designed. I have no idea how to make it better, but I tried to keep empty pockets near the camera as bulky pockets made insertion and removal of the camera body a little more difficult and less fluid. Sometimes the body would pull up on a roll of film and "pull" it out of a pocket. It tried to keep my packing minimal so this was rarely a problem. I haven't decided if I like my extra lens in a pocket or in the bottom of the bag away from the camera and wrapped in a cloth.
With regards to construction, my mom is a seamstress and designs womans handbags for sale online. She looked at it and had nothing but positive things to say, and even inspected the design looking for ideas.
Conclusion
Every trip I take demands a different set of gear with different requirements. There is no "perfect" kit for all trips and/or all assignments. I tried to imagine what I wanted to shoot and what I wanted to take with me. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to take a minimal of gear and besides all the film, I think I accomplished that. Actually, I'm very pleased that I was able to feel good for 10 days using only two lenses on a 35mm film body. If I'd had the money and inclination I may have liked a motor-wind and a soft release. Of the 35 rolls I took, I only used 24. I would probably take the same amount again in the future as a few plans fell through and we didn't see as much as we'd expected. I think if everything worked out like it was supposed to, I would have used much closer to the 35 rolls I originally took with me. Finally, Everything I took with me fit on a single backpack carry-on. If you haven't gone carry-on only, you're missing out.
I've traveled to Mexico, The Philippines, Peru and Vietnam, each time taking a different kit with varying amounts of equipment from everything to a single DSLR with Zoom lens. I'm not a fan of "what to take with me" threads, but if you have any questions I'll try to answer them as best as I can.
cover my experiences with the following gear:
35 rolls of film including Ektar, Tri-X, Plus-X, Velvia and Provia
Leica M6 with grip (on a few days I borrowed my friends M6, more later)
VC Nokton 35/1.4
Leica 50 Summicron
Gossen Super Pilot light meter
Photos
Photos can be found here: http://beyondthenegative.com/blog/gallery
All of the gear was easily contained in my new BareBones Bag along with a Vietnamese phrase book, a reporters style notebook, some pens, up to six rolls of film at a time, microfiber cloth, cell phone, and sometimes a water bottle while the camera was out of the bag.
The purpose of the trip was not so much a vacation in the sense of R&R, but more like a learning opportunity as a good friend is a working photographer in Saigon and I wanted to learn and photograph with him. Activities during the trip included a 200km motorcycle trip from Saigon, a tour on the Mekong Delta via boat, a city tour via bus, walking around the city, and a family stay on a rural farm in the Mekong Delta.
I visited families, temples, churches, farms, rice paddies, salt fields, rivers, boats and street corners. It's safe to say that I used nearly every means of travel except a train. The purpose of me listing all of this is to give you an idea of not only the sites but also the means of travel.
Film
Traveling with film at first seemed like a daunting task. Airports gave me anxiety, but I soon found that every airport along the way, SeaTac, Tokyo and Saigon, hand inspections of film were not a problem. I had one roll of TMZ3200 that I requested a hand inspection every time and had no problems. Actually, most of the time they barely even looked at. Even at the Reunification palace in Saigon where they make you put your bag through the XRAY, I was able to have the film bypass with only a casual glance.
I've shot lots of Tri-X, some Plus-X, velvia and Provia but never Ektar. In fact, using the Ektar was a bit of a gamble for me as the first time I used a roll was in Vietnam. The Ektar was processed and scanned at Costco without any problems, although the scanner must not be calibrated as skin tones look a little orange to me. Scanning at home, however, on a Nikon Coolscan IV seemed to fix the problem.
Before arriving at the airport I took all the film out of the plastic canisters and into a large ziplock
bag. I then put all the canisters into another ziplock bag. The canisters help keep the film from
getting wet, scratched etc. In Seatac, I let all the 400 speed and slower go through the XRAY but they
ended up hand inspecting it anyway, leaving and returning.
Camera
The M6 performed flawlessly as expected and was a joy to carry around vs. a larger DSLR. My friend is using a 5D MKII with a kit of primes including a 35/1.4. It was interesting to see the size difference between his full frame setup with a 35/1.4 and mine. Having the grip, which I purchased from eBay some months ago, made the camera feel much more secure in my hands. On a few occasions I borrowed my friends M6 to either run two different speeds of film or have both lenses mounted and ready for quick situations.
The two cameras were invaluable during the city tour where I was constantly in and out of dark temples and churches. I'm not real fond of f/16 and 1/1000, so running a 100 speed film in bright daylight is always my preference. The only other way I can think of overcoming this is to use a ND filter on Tri-X or Provia or some other 400 speed film so I can stop down the aperture.
One of the downfalls to using film is not being able to see your photos until the film is developed. Obvious, I know. Seeing my friend and another guy we hung out with for a few days make photos and review them at the end of the day or show them to the kids they were photographing was a missed opportunity for me. In fact, I wasn't even really sure how much I enjoyed the trip until I started seeing the photos come in and realize I was successful at capturing some moments. One instance made me sick, and thats when I opened the bottom plate before rewinding the film. I pretty much wrote that whole roll off and I had what I felt were some great photos. I was pleasantly surprised to see that probably 60 or 70% of the photos survived and many can be dramatically fixed by converting them to B&W.
On Several occasions I lusted after an M8 and have been thinking about it since coming back. I missed the digital immediacy but I did not miss the size of my DSLR kit. I don't think I'll actually pull the trigger on an M8 just yet, but I definitely have more desire for one than when I left.
As for the argument of a Leica being more discreet than, say, a 5D let me just say this. In most parts of the world, it won't matter. I found that people saw me as far more conspicous because of my white skin color than they did because I had a camera. The locals stared at my white friend and I equally hard despite the fact that my camera was smaller than his. Actually, I think people actually looked at me a little harder when I had to change film. I have ideas on this but I'm not really into speculation, especially considering the cultural and language barriers that we found. At the end of the day, the compelling argument my Leica had against his 5D was it being lightweight and a smaller package for portability. Of course he would then review his photos for the day and the tides of jealousy would reverse.
Glass
I was very happy with both the 35 and the 50. I don't ever remember wishing I had a zoom, or a longer focal length. Most photos at a longer focal length would not have been worth capturing for my style of shooting. With a DSLR and a longer zoom, I'm sure I would have taken the longer photos, but I guarentee they would not make it past the first edit. I mostly used the 35 for indoor and low light stuff. The 50 was my main daylight and outside lens. At first I was worried the 35 wouldn't be wide enough. Towards the end of the trip I was starting to feel like the 35 was too wide for most situations. Also, I noticed a bit of barrel distortion on the Nokton 35. I only noticed the distortion when I was shooting a guy painting an iron gate and the bars bow out slightly. On everything else, it's unnoticeable.
Light meter
The light meter was only used once, at the salt fields we visited because I was worried about getting the right exposure. For the most part, the built-in meter of the M6 and my working knowledge of how it measures helped me get proper exposures. I used to use this meter extensively when I had an M3, but use it much less now that I have an M6.
BareBones Bag
This is the bag I have been looking for since I first picked up a Leica. No frills, no bulky padding, small shoulder bag but not too small. At times I wished it was a little bit bigger, but only when carrying two bodies both with mounted lenses, light meter, notepad, bottle of water, 6 rolls of film, microfiber cloth, sunglasses, phrase book, pens and pencils, iPod and cell phone. All of that gear made the shape of the bag a bit square and more bulky than I love, but it was never an issue. Once I took a camera out of the bag, and usually both cameras at the same time, it was slinged over my body and wore very comfortably. The bag went with me everywhere and sometimes I wore it more towards the front of my body when walking down the busy streets or riding a motorcycle. Other times I loosened the strap and wore it at my side.
I saw people wearing backpacks on their front and they not only look like goofballs but also send a loud and clear message that they think everyone is a thief. A shoulder bag worn towards the front does not send the same message and is much easier to get into.
The only thing I wasn't a real fan of in regards to the bag is how the internal pockets are designed. I have no idea how to make it better, but I tried to keep empty pockets near the camera as bulky pockets made insertion and removal of the camera body a little more difficult and less fluid. Sometimes the body would pull up on a roll of film and "pull" it out of a pocket. It tried to keep my packing minimal so this was rarely a problem. I haven't decided if I like my extra lens in a pocket or in the bottom of the bag away from the camera and wrapped in a cloth.
With regards to construction, my mom is a seamstress and designs womans handbags for sale online. She looked at it and had nothing but positive things to say, and even inspected the design looking for ideas.
Conclusion
Every trip I take demands a different set of gear with different requirements. There is no "perfect" kit for all trips and/or all assignments. I tried to imagine what I wanted to shoot and what I wanted to take with me. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to take a minimal of gear and besides all the film, I think I accomplished that. Actually, I'm very pleased that I was able to feel good for 10 days using only two lenses on a 35mm film body. If I'd had the money and inclination I may have liked a motor-wind and a soft release. Of the 35 rolls I took, I only used 24. I would probably take the same amount again in the future as a few plans fell through and we didn't see as much as we'd expected. I think if everything worked out like it was supposed to, I would have used much closer to the 35 rolls I originally took with me. Finally, Everything I took with me fit on a single backpack carry-on. If you haven't gone carry-on only, you're missing out.
I've traveled to Mexico, The Philippines, Peru and Vietnam, each time taking a different kit with varying amounts of equipment from everything to a single DSLR with Zoom lens. I'm not a fan of "what to take with me" threads, but if you have any questions I'll try to answer them as best as I can.
Last edited:
